Electric inhaler



Feb. 21, 1928. 1,659,970

H. A; CHOUINARD ELECTRIC INHALER Fild Aug. 25, 1924 Patented Feb. 21,1928.

UNITED STATES HARRY A. GHOUINARD, 0F HAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC INHALEB.

Application filed August 25, 1924. Serial-Ho. 738,889.

My invention relates to electrically operated Vaporizers and in one ofts pertinent applications aims to provide a simple, easily manufactured,inexpensive and hlghly san tary appliance adapted to eiiect aspeedyvaporization of any desired liquid and. arranged so as to compel theresulting vapor to issue through a medicated cotton.

Viewed in some of its important aspects, my invention aims to provide avaporizer in which the vaporizable liquid is disposed in a transparentcontainer so that the level of the liquid can always be observed, and nwhich the cross-section of the container is greatly restricted adjacentto the heating member of the appliance so as to expedlte thevaporization. It also aims to provide such a container with a detachablecover through which the heating member can readily be inserted orwithdrawn, aims to provide a detachable cup. normally supported by thecover and having a suitably perforated bottom, and aims to shape thiscup so that it will be adapted to hold a vapor confining cone in aconvenient position for use.

Furthermore, my invention aims to provide the cover of the appliancewith suitable means for firmly retaining it on thecontainer, and aims toprovide a complete and compact inhaler in a construction in which everypart of the same can readily be cleaned so as to maintain the entireappliance in a'highly sanitar condition. My invention also aims toprovide an appliance of this class so arranged that the cone holder orthe cup (or both) can readily be detached to permit the insertion ofobjects either through the corresponding opening in the cover or theperforations in the bottom of the cup into the liquid in the container,thereby affording a highly convenient and speedily operating appliancefor sterilizing surgical or dental instruments or the like. Stillfurther and also more detailed objects will gppear from the followingspecification and rom the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is aperspective view of an electric inhaler embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central and vertical section through the same,with the upper portions of the aper cone and of the heating member broen away.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cover, drawn on the same scale as Fi 2,with the detachable cup in its norma position."

I Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2 to show thespaces between the lower end of the heating member and the bore of thecontainer.

' Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but with the cone and the cottonomitted, s owing my appliance as used in sterilizing invstruments.

While the appliance of my invention may be employed with equal facilityfor quite a variety of purposes, it is particularly adapted for use invaporizing a liquid and causing the resulting vapor to pass through amedicated cotton, and for causing the resulting medicated vapor to issuethrough a cone adapted to confine the vapors to a desired direction. Iam therefore illustrating and describing my invention'in such anembodiment, although I do not wish to be" limited to any particular useof the same.

In the illustrated form, my appliance comprises a liquid container whichis desirably'made of glass and which preferably has a downwardlytapering conical wall portion 1 adapted to alford a restrictedhorizontal section near the bottom of its interior. The container alsodesirably has a substantially cylindrical upper end portion 2 and a base3 of adequate size for affording the desired stability;

When in use, the mouth of the container is closed by a cap 4 which hasat its periphery a depending collar 5 of such a size as to afford afairly snug fit over the mouth portion 2 of the container. This flange 5desirably has a number of downwardly dilected spring fingers 6 formed inextension of it and pressing tightly against the exterior of thecontainer when the cover is attached, so as to prevent the cover frombeing tilted out of its normal position when the inhaler is in use.

In forming the cover, I provide it with an aperture 7 of a bore closelyapproaching thediameter of the metal casing 8 of an electric heater.This heater casing is here shown as housing a resistance wire 9 wound onan insulating core 10 and spaced from the metal casing 8 of the heatingmember b an insulating filling 11; the heater is al so shown as havingat its u per end an insulating ,knob 12 which afio a cool handle formanipulating the heating member.

wires 13 pass from and through which twin I 9 to any suitable port forthe cotton while permitting vaporsfrom within the glass container toreach the cotton freely, I desirably provide the bottom 16 with. aconsiderable number of perforations 17, some of which perforations arepreferably of a considerable size.

In connection with the appliance as thus described, I also supply papercones 19, each of which cones is open at the bottom and has its sidewall conforming in taper to that of thecup wall 15, so as to fit snuglyinto the cup after themanner shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The paper cone thusemployed also -desirably has tom'or smaller end, so as to lend itselfmore readily to the appl cation of vapors through 'the cone to the mouthand nose of the user.

When theapplia'nce as thus described is to be used, the vaporizableliquid 20 is poured into a glass container in a quantity varying withthelength of time during which the inhaler is to be em loyed. Inpractice, water is generally use for -this urpose and the quantityrequired for or inary treatments may only correspond toa small fractionof the capacity of the container, as. I preferably employ a container ofsuch at ca acity as to be adapted also for other uses t an m con-.nection with inhalations;

When the cover is attached and the heat-- ing member is inserted throughthe said perforation 7-, the lower end of this heating member, or theendin which the heating wire is disposed, is surrounded by the liqui in therestricted lower ortion ofthe interior of the container, there ypresenting a quite large heating surface in proportion to the amount ofthe ad'acent water or other liquid. Owing to this re ating. area, theresulting vaporization is quite rapid even when the heater employed isof a relatively small wattage, so that I can readily start vaporizationwithin avery few minutes. Moreover, by placing the cover perforation 7at one side of the axis esired medicine 18 applied. To secure anadequate sup-.

its upper end inclined to its botbeing relatively shaped so as topassage for the fluid above and elow the tainer top being atively ilargeheating radi-.

nesaevo to be tilted, so that its bottom is ina plane in which the boreof the glass container has an elliptical section as shown in Fig. 4.Consequently, the heat at the extreme bottom of the heating member isapplied to the very restricted'aniount of water in the crescent shapedpassages '21 of Fig. 4, thereby starting the vaporization within anunusually small time interval after the current is turned on.

I claim as my invention 1. An electric vaporizer including a liquidcontainer having a substantially conical interior, a top for thecontainer having a vapor outlet and having an opening, and an e ectricheater having a cylindrical casing closedat its bottom and beingreceivable through said opening, the diameterof the apex ortion of thecontainer interior and that o the heater casingbeing proportioned sothat the casing bottom will-be engaged by the tapering walls of thecontainer interior to hold the casing bottom adjacent to the bottom ofthe container interior and thereby adjacent to the bottom of the'liquid,said opening of.

the container top being disposed adjacent to the periphery of thecontainer so as to hold the heater casing bottom at an angle to theplane of the bottom ofthe container whereby to provide oppositesubstantially crescent shaped and narrow passages between the cas:

ing bottom and the adjacent parts of the interior wall of the container.

2. An electric vaporizer including a liquid container having asubstantially conical interior, .a top for the container having a vaporoutlet and having an opening, and an electric heater having a casingclosed at its bottom and being receivable through said opening, thediameter of the apex portion of the container interior and that of theheater casing bein proportioned so that the casin bottom will eengagedby the ta e'ring wa s of the container interior to 4101 thecasing bottom adjacent to the bottom ofthe container interior andthereby adjacent to the bottom of the. liquid, the container interiorand easing rovide a casing bottom, the said opening of the condisposedad acent to the container periphery so as to maintain the' heater casingat an. angle to the plane of the container bottom andclose'totheadjacent side wall of the container interior.

1 Signed at Chicago, 'Illinois, Aug. 20th,

- HARRY A. CHOUINARD.

III

